Skip to main content

tv   Greta Van Susteren  FOX News  August 14, 2009 1:00am-2:00am EDT

1:00 am
>> there is no guarantees. sean: that's all the time we have left. we will see you back here tomorrow night. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- tonight greta: some americans are very angry. is congress listening? >> you have a problem with prestige and you are using this on the backs of the american people. [applause] there is nothing un-american about me. >> we have an employer system. >> a bureaucrat is going to decide whether or not i get the procedure, not my primary care physician.
1:01 am
>> i will not support any plan which precludes your doctor from deciding what care you should have. greta: we have the nationwide meetings covered. sheila jackson lee is here trying to explain this video. she went on her cell phone while a woman was asking a question. the congresswoman is here, where she apologize? you will find out. first, arlen specter faced off with more heated constituents at a town hall in pennsylvania. >> it was senator specter ponce's fourth town hall and three days. tenters for risin-- it was sen s fourthr's fourth town hall meet.
1:02 am
many people forced their way in and many people chanted. >> what do we want, health care? >> our kids will have a third world country. we will have nothing in this country. they are spending our future. i wanted this stopped. i don't want it 10 years from now. >> this is about america, remember that. >> i don't have insurance but i don't want health care either. >> yes, we will. >> no, you won't. >> talk to us that don't have health care. >> this is taking away our freedom of choice. the people said that we could have freedom of choice, where is our choice in this?
1:03 am
>> a lot of passion although here we saw something that we have not seen before and that is a strong showing from the acorn folks. we have heard about conservative groups trying to get together to organize. our cameras got here after apparently witnesses tell me that acorn sent two busloads of people. one picture in lenticular, this was shown to me from a person who is a local person. -- one picture in particular. there is nothing illegal about that except that it upset the local population. this is a strongly conservative county, they showed up to voice their opinions and ask questions and they felt that they were disenfranchised and they were not able to get their opportunity to comment. they said that the union folks showed up at about 6:00 a.m. and
1:04 am
this was a first-come first- served basis. greta: the members of acorn that came, are the pennsylvania residents? >> well, i spoke with a couple of them and they were pennsylvania residents. i believe the gentleman said he was from its board. they are not concealing their identity at all. they want to balance the debate. -- i believe the gentleman said he was from pittsburgh. it certainly added to the tension that was in parking lot. right now, it is cold. earlier, it was a heated with a discussion. greta: thank you. moments ago, karl rove went on the record about the heated town hall meetings and much more. nice to see you. town hall meetings are consuming
1:05 am
much of the nation. what is your opinion? >> well, i wrote a column towards the end of july in which i said the big test would be for the opponents of health care, whether they showed up at the town hall meetings. i said this would be a test of how angry people are and how big their concerns are. they are showing up in large numbers and they are sharing their opinions and it is pretty extraordinary. >greta: apparently this has gotten under the skin of some. harry reid said in an interview, he referred to some of these people as "evil monsters who are using lies, innuendo, rumor to drag out national the bakdebate" >> you have other opinions written by the leader of the house and the speaker of the house in which they said that these people were acting at
1:06 am
american. you have the white house through organizing for america, this is the front group for obama, they sent an e-mail that said that these people were tools of the insurance industry. these are ordinary people, many of whom have never been involved politically before, who feel extraordinarily concerned about this gigantic monster of a bill that seems to be rammed down everyone's throat and they want to make their opinions known. there are many people who do something for the first time, the first time they participated in politics so they are rushed around the edges of -- rough around the edges. they're not exactly polished. as a result, members of congress should pay more attention. greta: it is almost like this bill has moved so quickly is that if the people were to be considered and if the government knew best, they came on so strong that i think that they've
1:07 am
forgotten that to the american people want a voice in this. they want to know. they want to be heard. >> that is a good point. this did not happen in isolation. we had the gigantic stimulus bill about which lots of promises were made. we had the armomnibus spending bill. we heard about the cap and trade bill. that worry people about their jobs. then we have the health care bill. i was watching the town hall meeting in portsmouth and i started making a list of the things that i knew were absolutely not true. for example, the aarp has endorsed the bill. you will be able to keep your coverage the matter what. there will not be any rationing. things that were simply not true. i will not sign a bill that as the deficit. the congressional budget office
1:08 am
has blown two holes and not one. key tennessethere have been this that have been found that our excellent not true. there are remarkable testimony to the president got right. he has 20 things that he asserts that are not true. -- there have been things that have been found that are simply not true. >greta: i have tried to go through the bill and even before we get to the substance and content, i find it incomprehensible. the thing that is alarming to me that if this was signed, no one to know how to implement it. then they start fighting, then the lawsuits, then it goes to the judges. then they decide, then they're called activist judges for making it up when congress did not write it right in the first place.
1:09 am
this starts a huge problem. >> we also have some unelected entities in this bill to get to make decisions about what kind of care is permissible and what kind isn't. what kind of coverage would be allowed and what kind of procedures will not be allowed. frankly, i don't want the federal government to be in charge of those decisions. it is nervous enough when we have the insurance companies and the physicians, they have to on in and out. if the physician is trying to iron it out with the government, we will have less patience with governments and consumers spent dumpe. greta: i admire those at the town hall meetings that are doing this. >> that is their job. they have to make themselves available to their constituents. on it is interesting. on wwe had a long island
1:10 am
congressperson who said he was not having town hall meetings but at the moment that he saii d that, he was in fact having a meeting. we do have members who have said we are not going to have these kinds of meetings. we have had some that say they have suspended meetings. i do like that people put themselves in the arena like that. some of them do quite well. others, sheila jackson lee did a dreadful thing by talking on a cellphone in the middle of a town hall meeting. arlen specter did himself a lot of damage in the minds of the people in pennsylvania. he seemed to bb rating someone at one of them. -- she seemed to bhe be beratin
1:11 am
himself. greta: up next, call rove thinks that the democrats are scared. also, lee talks who need
1:12 am
assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. in fact, if we qualify you for medicare reimbursement and medicare denies your claim, we'll give you your new power chair or scooter free. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today.
1:13 am
greta: more with karl rove. how about the recent numbers? >> it is interesting, the people who are independent and they looked sort of like democrats when it came to supporting obama overall, it looked like democrats when it came to supporting what they knew about the health care plan, they have moved dramatically in the opposite direction and they are looking more like republicans when they are posing a obama on this plan. for example, on the question of
1:14 am
taxes, did you think your taxes would go up or down, the new poll, democrats say that they will go up. 95% of republicans and 75% of republicans said they would go up. -- a 75% of independents said they would go up. then there is some significant defections from democrats. for example "would your family be better off or worse off during the reforms?" 27% said they would be better off a 10% said they would be worse off. we have seen some defection amongst democrats. one out of 25 opposes the health care plan amongst the democrats. that has doubled in the last few weeks. greta: the health-care plan currently under consideration, most oppose it. if those numbers hold or get worse, can the congress vote for this program?
1:15 am
>> first of all, remember, the congress is composed of several different groupings and there'll be some people who will be so insulated from the overall opinion that they can vote for it. what you have to think about is that there are a number of democrats from red states and there are those whose districts that were carried by john mccain, if you look at the numbers, 35% favor and 49% oppose. 27% favor and 50% oppose amongst independence. if you have democrats with 8% 4 and 84% against. if you are one of those red state democrats, you have to worry about what this will do to you. -- if you have republicans with 8% for and 84% against.
1:16 am
there are some democrats who would know that this would be really really bad. particularly if they voted for the cap and trade bill. i have found many people who have decided to run or have encouraged other people to run because of cap and trade. greta: what do you think is going on in the white house? >> i think that they feel pretty good. they want a battle over the process. they want to talk about whether or not these people are real or not. if we are talking about that, we are not talking about the substance of the bill. that is what originally got them into trouble. they went out and vilified the people who showed up at the town hall meetings. they are going out of their way to change the whole tone of the debate from when it was a positive and will, let's help
1:17 am
people get health care, to let's go vilify the insurance companies. that is the liberal decision because they were in trouble. -- that was a literal decision. this is not what you should be doing as president of the united states. this will undermine the president's credibility. greta: major garrett gets in a showdown with the press secretary. sarah palin is trying to reach you. how?
1:18 am
1:19 am
1:20 am
greta: the white house press briefing room look like a scene from the wild west. major garrett asked secretary gibbs about an e-mail. >> that is the president's goal to ensure that if you did not get your health insurance through your employer, did not have those type of options, you
1:21 am
would have something that would compete with the only game in town. i think that is in the e-mail. >> speaking of the e-mail, how was the list for who would receive it determined? >> it is those that have signed up to receive updates. >> i have received e-mails from those that did not see anything vacation from the white house, never registered, would never register -- delong >> you have done this a couple of times i want this to be very clear. ofa, whether obama for america, has nothing to do with or never has had anything to do with if you sign up through the white house to receive e-mail, i want to rephrase your
1:22 am
question so it doesn't continue to assume that something is violating the law. >> i have never signed up for this, senator obama as a candidate, senator obama as anything and i have received e- mail from david axelrod. >> i would be interested to see. what i'm asking you is if they are on the list. >> you are asking me to check a list. i cannot look at this. >> there's apparently a list because they never asked for an e-mail. >> i would have to look and see -- >> you don't have an explanation how someone would get an e-mail. >> i will not answer in such
1:23 am
ways to allow you to in tune what i've said. >> why would you say this? >> because of what you said in your question. >> i am telling you what i got. >> let's go to someplace else that might be constructed. greta: major garrett joins us. >> let's advance the story. robert gibbs invited me to provide e-mail. i never asked the white house for anything. i have offered to give to him and the white house some of the e-mail from people who said they never subscribed to the white house, never signed up, never subscribed. i have many people think that i
1:24 am
am an idiot. these people contacted me because they were not afforded, they got them directly from the white house. i've offered to give those to the white house to find out the answers to the questions i posed today. at this hour, i've heard nothing back. i am just trying to find out something simple. if you have never asked the white house for anything, how did they receive an e-mail? that is all i'm asking. greta: i am always a little bit suspicious when you hit a nerve. >> he was clear that he said not to conflate organizing for america and the white house. that is perfectly fair. i don't mean to confuse the two. miy question was about an e-mail
1:25 am
that went to people whose e-mail trail did not have a forward in and they receive it directly from the white house and they just want to know why. greta: what did it say? >> id listed 8 priorities for white house caliph -- it listed 8 things that are of priority for the white house in health care. other things they have said about the debate. there's nothing wrong with the e-mail. i'm just asking how people got it if they did not ask for it. greta: are you going to get to this list? >> we will see. greta: it took four months to get the pictures of the jets over manhattan. >> it might have to go to a
1:26 am
freedom and liberation request. we had a discussion afterward. he said to provide a e-mail and i am one unhappy to do that. greta: i like the line that said "don't look funny." >> good luck getting that good luck. did sheila jackson lee insult a constituent? she was on the phone. i am so glad that this man is not my banker. not my banker. he is the dumbahhh. time to getr the latte budget under control. mm-hmm.
1:27 am
[ female announcer ] trying to be smart with the family budget? here goes the good old steam. [ pfffft! ] whooa!!!! [ female announcer ] let bounty help... because it cleans the mess with less than the bargain brands. it's thick and absorbent. and really durable. in lab tests bounty absorbs twice as much as the bargain brand. [ steam hisses ] why use more when you can use less? bring it. with bounty. the thick quicker picker-upper. and try bounty napkins. now with new prints.
1:28 am
1:29 am
greta: did sheila jackson lee
1:30 am
and sold one of her constituents at a town hall? watched this vide-- insult one r constituents at a town hall? >> if your conscience allows you to do this simply because you think it is good for america -- delong >> she is talking on the phone. >> seriously, really, come on. >> the conscience, do you think this is good for america? when does this stop? greta: moments ago, sheila
1:31 am
jackson lee went on the record to defend herself. good to see you. >> thank you for having me this evening. greta: let me give you a challenge, i want to challenge you to give short quick answers. all i need is a name, who were you talking to? >> this is not an obama hot line, i was not talking, i was listening and trying to hear from a hot line that has been set up to help members get answers to what our constituents were asking. greta: was that a conversation with a person? >> it is a hot line, it is a human being on the other end. we were engaging in the town hall meeting.
1:32 am
my town hall meetings are with friends and neighbors, fellow americans. i was not making a keynote speech, i was walking up and down the aisles. i could listen and i can hear. i became a good friend of ms. miller and nine stand she was on your show. -- i understand that she was on your show. we stood there and we talked. greta: you already lost the challenge. i know that you can multitask, you have a million things going on your life. can you understand why this was profoundly rude? she has a real question and it looks like you are just ignoring her. >> i can understand if offense was taken. it was not meant to be. i hope that she will come to my town hall meetings as i make my way through the month of august so that i can tell her that there was no offense.
1:33 am
sorry, tracy, we can work through this. that is a fight that i am in, battling for my constituents to understand how much better this would be for their lives. greta: i got that met here is a problem that you have. you have senator reid he referred to some people prost testing as evil, you have people on the phone like you don't care. -- people protesting as evil, you have people on the phone like you don't care. >> i am so glad that you ask my question -- that question. these are the wordyou should han hall when everyone was shouting "just the same now."
1:34 am
i a stand ready to represent them. -- i don't believe that we insulted them, not when you stayed as long as i stayed. we have a tough job, we have people emotionally charged. i think people are fearful that we are trying to take something from them. i felt that last night. every survivor that stood up, we applauded them. i was getting information for them. you were kind enough to let me come on your show. you had the young lady on your show and i did not see it but if she took any offense, come to my town hall meeting so that i can apologize. nothing was intended. i heard everything that i said. i think that she would fit well for a robust public option and i
1:35 am
would like to convince her that that would be the case. all the shouted at him about the not come from my district. greta: one of the problems with this is that you were not listening. >> i disagree. greta: you are saying that you are calling a hot line and a the way that american people look at this is that you are not reading the bill. is this because the bill is incomprehensible? are you listening to the people? you are on the phone, some aren't sold in the protesters. that is why people are upset. -- some are insulting the protesters. it is like you know so much better and they're simply trying
1:36 am
to ask questions. >> i am glad that you asked the whole list of questions. white did read thi did read the. i consider myself will read but i know that everyone knows that is good to get the facts. let me speak for the other members and say this, we are out there. we might have comments about how we are being received for help volatile or nonvolatile that people are out there whether they are democrats or republicans. we are doing what we're supposed to do and we are human. this was an informal town meeting as i have done over the time i have served. what i will say to you is that that film look strange. i have had people tell me it looks strange.
1:37 am
greta: it looks really bad. >> i was not ignoring them. it would be different if i was in the corner with my back to them. i was not. this is not the case of ignoring america. what i will say to the very special lady who i cared about and state and talk to, any offense that was taken, come to the town hall meeting. i will apologize. i think that it robust public option is what she needs. greta: i have to go but i want to say one thing, i think that every member of congress does hold those town hall meetings and they are appreciated because not all of you are doing this. that is much appreciated. one little tip, maybe she would like to have a beer summit with you.
1:38 am
maybe that would smoothed some others. thank you and good luck. >> can i have some great juice, orange juice as well. she has some children and i would like to give them some. greta: steve says that president obama has made a huge mistake. obama has made a huge mistake. sarah that's a-- tiny netbook. yeah, it's-- good-looking, lightweight. generally awesome. and you could just-- go online, video-chat with my cousin. this is un-- under $200. are you some kind of-- mind reader, visionary ? no, i have them. huh. the new lightweight hp mini netbook with windows and america's largest and most-reliable 3g network built in. only 199.99 with mobile broadband plans from 39.99 i am-- speechless, envious. wanna be me right now. getting one.
1:39 am
1:40 am
you all want to run your businesses more efficiently, so we've brought in a team of experts to help.
1:41 am
one suggestion is to make your shipping more efficient with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. call or go online for a free supply and up to $160 in offers from authorized postage vendors. shipping's a hassle! weighing every box... actually, with flat rate boxes you don't need to weigh anything under 70 pounds. if it fits, it ships for a low flat rate. ok, but i ship all over the country. you can ship anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. ship international, too. yes, but i ship hundreds of things, in all sizes. great, because flat rate boxes come in four sizes. call and we'll send a free supply, plus up to $160 in offers. when you're ready to ship, we'll even pick them up for free, no matter how many you have. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. call or go online now to get started.
1:42 am
x new proposals on health care come from top centers. they decided to exclude controversial and of live counseling. the doctor from the bill and said it could be misinterpreted . it is receiving criticism saying citizens need care. they are battling wildfires about 2400 people have had to affect way their home spread of the flames started on wednesday. a woman is arrested on suspicion of starting one of the fires by throwing out a lit cigarette. it is making -- proving difficult for firefighters. in new york, we now head back to
1:43 am
"on the record, ." with greta van susteren. you can check foxnews.com for the latest headlines. greta: michael vick is back in the nfl. he signed an two-year deal with the philadelphia eagles. he spent 18 months in prison for his role in running a dogfighting ring. he was given provisional reinstatement. under the terms, he can participate in the preseason practices, workouts, and can play in the last two preseason games. the nfl commissioner will decide if he can return full- time. we are all on to you, everyone of you. we know that you are not doing in july. you are not spending. retail sales fell 0.1% last month, that is worst than expected. meanwhile, 550,000 people filed
1:44 am
for unemployment benefits last week. that is more people than filed a week before. what is up? are we sliding down? we are joined by the senior economic writer for "a wall street journal." >> rumors of the death of the recession are greatly exaggerated. the numbers that cannot work greatly disappointing. people are expecting a pretty good positive number. i thought that was disappointing is what happened with the jobless claims. we are supposed to be seeing on employment numbers falling and we are looking at this just a week afterwards. not so fast on that recovery. >> what about the president? >> i think he made a big mistake company and 250,000 lost jobs. the unemployment rate fell.
1:45 am
-- i think that he made a mistake talking about 250,000 lost jobs. we are all hoping and praying that this economy gets a lot better and we see a resumption of the job growth. right now, you don't see signs. the one positive sign, the stock market has been on a tear in the last month and it did very well. that is always a pretty good leading indicator. greta: the president is in an awkward position because he cannot be all doom and gloom. he needs to go out there and get us going, it is unfortunate that people and not spending but this is the only way to get the economy rocking and rolling again is if he says some exciting thing. of course, now -- august is always a slow month. the chances are that everything is against him.
1:46 am
>> today is the 28th anniversary of ronald reagan's tax cuts. he signed those on the 13th. greta: thank you for that. >> that was the tax cut that really caused last great recession to end. we have the horrible 1970 profit. this is what is missing from the agenda. -- we had the horrible 1970's. greta: there are many people critical of the stimulus program. if it turns out to be the right idea, maybe he will have clear sailing. if we are where we are, he will be job hunting. >> i agree, it is all about the economy.
1:47 am
we have all of this government spending. the problem is that the thing that is weighing on the economy is two trillion dollars in debt. how do you deal with this? greta: not easy. shocking video has surfaced of the deadly mid-air collision. nine people were killed when a plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter. two air traffic controllers working during that time were in fact not. officials said from the faa say there's no reason to believe that the action of the air traffic controllers caused the accident. up next, the best of the rest. this guy needs a new job.
1:48 am
he is a bank robber and he is so lousy at it, so stupid. his lawyer is really unhappy and you will find out why. sarah palin once you. she is trye check out the bass pro shops fall hunting classic. with great deals like the moultrie game spy d-40 camera for only $69.94 and the leupold rifleman riflescope for only $169.94. bass pro shops. your adventure starts here. o need assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no
1:49 am
cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. in fact, if we qualify you for medicare reimbursement and medicare denies your claim, we'll give you your new power chair or scooter free. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. call the number on your screen for free information.
1:50 am
1:51 am
1:52 am
greta: you have seen our top stories but here is the best of the rest. do not mess with these two nuns. they were at their convent when they looked out a window and they saw a man carrying a gun in a field. they decided to go talk to him. that is when the man dropped the gun and took off running. one of the nuns took matters into her own hands and chased the man. she did not catch him but she gave police all the clues they needed. a short time later, he was in handcuffs headed to jail. he might have preferred confession. another addition to our stupid criminal file, this 34-year-old is under arrest for robbing a bank. he did it very badly.
1:53 am
here is how it went down. he strolls into the bank and asks about the balance of his account to get his account information. he gives the teller his real name and shows her his real picture id enhancer a piece of paper. it says that he has a gun. -- his real picture id anti- cancer a piece of paper. the robber served 57 months in prison for a different bank robbery in 2004. time to find a new line of work. check out this little squirrel. he decided to take center stage during a time photo. she and her husband were hiking around a lake. incurious squirrel decided to check out the camera to see what was going on. -- a curious squirrel decided to
1:54 am
check out the camera. this has showed up on it and the sites from england to south korea. it is not your father's politicking. get rid of your bumper stickers. what is in? facebook. sarah palin has a facebook profile. she is slapping the president's health-care plan. she has done it twice on their facebook profile. she is taking her political passion into cyberspace? what is next for the governor? there you have it, the best of the rest. still ahead, one more quick one before we turn out the lights. did
1:55 am
1:56 am
1:57 am
1:58 am
1:59 am
>greta: 11:00 is almost here. conan o'brien has noticed some senior citizens don't like the health-care plan for reasons you might not think. >> obama said he will not pull the plug on grandma. that is whthere was an awkward t when grandpa stood up and b ooed. "end it, i'm tired of her." greta: we are closing down shop. thank you for being with us. we will see you tomorrow. don't forget, go to gretawire .com and blog. maybe you will convince someone about health care. keep it